Ratchet-brace.



No. 878,204. A. PA'IEN'IEDl FEB. 4, 1908.

G. M. D. HEARD.

RATGHET BRAGE.

APPLIOATION FILED un. 14, 1907.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I/VIn asses O o M [azien or.

No. 878,204. PATENTED PEB. 4. 1908. G. M. D. HEARD. RATGHBT BRAGB.

APrLIoATIoN FILED JAN 14 1907 a snBnTs-sHnET z.

Wz'nes'es:

A3 is a top plan view of the v and Fig. 8 is a detail of the ratchetplunger.

' stock 12 is a collar 141 which encircles the head GEORGE M. D. HEARD,OF IAINESVILLE, OHIO.

RATCHET-BRACE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 4, 1908.

Application filed January 14. 1907. Serial No. 352.097.

To all 'whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. I). HEARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Painesville, in the county of Lake and State ofOhio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRatchet-Braces, oi which the following is a specification,referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to ratchet braces, particularly to an improvedform of ratchet head adapted for use in connection with the braceillustrated in my prior United States patents No. 779,079, issuedJanuary 3, 1905,' and No. 810,409, issued January 23, 1906.

In the drawings forming part of this specitication, in which likenumbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur, Figure l isa side elevation of a brace embodying my invention; Fig.'2 is asectional view on the line 2-2, Fig. 4, the chuck being shown partly inelevation and partly in section Fig. stock and clamp; Fig. 4 is a rearelevation of the stock, the sweep-arm being shown in section. Figs. 5,6, and 7 are details of the clamping mechanism;

The top 1, sweep-arms 2 and 3, handle L1, and elbows 5 which connectsame together are all constructed and arranged as described in the rstof my aforementioned Letters- Patent.

In the hollowed-out part (not shown) ol the eXternally-tlneaded chuck 6,jaws 7 are normally retained, a revoluble adjustingdrum 8 being screwedupon the chuck to keep said jaws in place. Above head 9 of chuck 6 is ashank 10 which is journaled in a perforation 1l provided therefor instock 12, the top of shank 1() being tapped, so that screw 13 may bedriven therein, said screw, in conjunction with the usual annularwasher, thus serving to keep the chuck in its proper position in thestock. Formed integral with the 9 below shank 10, so that chuck 6 mayrotate within the stock 12, perforation 11 and collar 14 serving assuitable bearings in which said chuck is j ournaled.

In the head 9 of chuck 6 sockets 15 are drilled, said sockets extendinginwardly at right angles to the upper surface of said head, whichsurface is beveled and disposed at an oblique angle to the axis oi' thechuck. Upon i the stock 12 a hollow otlset 16 is formed, said offsetextending outwardly at an oblique angle to the axis of the chuck, andhaving the center line olE the hollowed-out part at right angles to thebeveled 'face oi head 9. W'ithin this hollow oit'set a spring-controlledplunger is carried, said plunger' being provided to lock the stock andchuck together. Said plunger comprises a stem 17 having, at one end, ahead 1S which has the beveled face 19, and, at the other end, a pin 20,while a helical spring 21, encircling the plunger stem and having oneend bearing against head 1S and the other against a shoulder 22 on theinner wall of oil'set 16, keeps said plunger normally pressed towardchuck (i, so that head 1S seats in one of the sockets 15. The plungercan be withdrawn from said sockets by pulling it out by means of pin 20,against the pressure of said spring 21, and, in addition, it willwithdraw automatically when the device is turned so that the bevelededge 19 rides upon the walls of sockets 15. The plunger, obviously, ispresented toward. the chuck at an oblique angle to the axis thereof',and thus engages the chuck more firmly than would be possible it it wereotherwise placed` In the outer end ol oilset 16 are three slots 23,211., and 25, and in one or the other ol these slots pin 20 seats whenhead 18 is inserted in a socket 15. Then pin 20 seats in slot 23, thebeveled tace 19`is turned toward theright, Fig. 4, so that when thestock is rotated clockwise the plunger remains seated in socket 15 andlocks the stock to the chuck, thus causing said members to rotate inunison. IV hen, however, the stock is rotated counterclockwise., thebeveled face of plunger-head 1S will ride upon the edges ol" the sockets15, thereby lifting the plunger out of said sockets, and the stock willthus rotate indcpendently olI the chuck. W'hen the pin 20 seats in slot24, the beveled vtace of head 18 faces toward the left, Fig. 4, so thatstock and chuck move in unison when the stock is rotatedcounter-clockwise, but said members move independently of each other'when moved clockwise. When the pin seats in slot 25, the plunger-head 1Sis inserted so deeply in one ol" the sockets 15, and the beveled face isso turned that said face 19 can not ride upon the wall of the socket,and in such case stock and chuck are locked together and rotate inunison at all times.

Slots 23 and 24 are not as deep as slot 25, and do not ermit the pin 2Oto travel far enough to al ow the plunger-head 1S to project to anygreat extent within sockets 15,

for if the plunger should be inserted too deeply in said sockets, thebeveled face 19 would not easily ride out of' the socket in which saidhead may have seated, thus detracting from the efficiency of the tool asa ratchet means. Slot 25 is cut deeply, however, so that plunger-head 19can project as far as possible Within socket 15 when pin 20 is seated insaid slot, for in this position it is undesirable that head 18 should bepermitted to work out of socket 15, but, on the contrary, it should stayfirmly seated therein, so that stock and chuck may remain lockedtogether.

A clamp 26 is provided to hold the stock 12 to the sweep-arm 3, saidclamp looping over the sweep-arm and having the ears 27 extendingdownwardly over the sides of the stock. A rod 28 passes throughperforations 29 in said clamp and, likewise, through a perforation 31 inblock 30, which block is placed in the triangular opening formed by thehorizontal and vertical parts of stock 12 and the oblique oifset 1 6,said rod thus pivotally securing clamp 2-6 and block 30 together. At oneend of-said block 30 a screw 32 passes therethrough and bears againstthe under side of stock 12, while in the other end a semicylindricalrecess 38 is cut, which recess carries a cam-member 34, a lever 35 beingprovided to rock said cam, said lever being placed where it is easilyaccessible to the operators fingers. When cam 34 is thus rocked, theright-hand end, Fig. 2, of block 80 is depressed, swinging on rod 28 asa fulcrum, until screw 32 strikes stock 12. The continued movement ofcam 34 then causes stock 12 to be pressed upwardly, and clamp 26 to bepulled downwardly, thus binding stock 12 securely to sweep-arm 8. Whenit is desired to shift the position of the stock on the sweep-arm, lever35 is moved so that clamp 26 is loosened, the stock is moved to thedesired position, where it is again locked in place by turning cam 34 soas to tighten clamp 26. The screw 32 serves to regulate the clampingpressure of the cam 34.

The operation of the brace is simple, and may be summarized as follows:The proper bit having been clamped in the jaws, lever 35 isl turned soas to fix the stock in proper position upon sweep-arm 3.

lf the operator desires to have the bit rotate, no matter in whichdirection the handle is swung, plunger 17 is so adjusted that pin 20seats in slot 25,

thus allowing the head 18 to project into socket 15 so deeply and withits beveled face 19 so turned that the plunger can not ride out of thesocket, thereby keeping stock and chuck locked.together at all times.When the operator desires to use the device as a ratchet brace, so thatthe handle can move in one direction in unison with the bit, and in theother direction independently thereof, plunger 17 is turned so that pin2O seats in slot 23 or 24, according to the direction in which movementin unison is desired.

Having thus described my said invention, what l claim and desire tosecure byLetters- Patent is:

1. ln a ratchet brace, the combination of a chuck, cylindrical socketsin the heads thereof, a stock, or bracket, an offset from said stock, orbracket, slots in said offset, the middle slot being deeper than theouter slots, a cylindrically-shaped beveled-headed plunger carried insaid offset, and a pin upon said plunger, said pin seating in saidslots, said plunger sinking deeplyinto said sockets when said pin is insaid middle socket, but only slightly when said pin is in said outersockets.

2. A ratchet brace having a bracket cornprising three members, thesweep-arm engaging one of said members, the chuck passing throughanother of said members, a cylindrically-shaped beveled-headed plungerpassing through the third member, said plunger being adapted to seat incylindrical sockets on said chuck, said first-mentioned and saidsecond-mentioned members being approximately at right-angles to eachother and said third-mentioned member" connect- 1 ing the extremities ofsaid other-mentioned members, and means for clamping the sweeparm to thebracket, said means being disposed in the space between said threememers.

In testimony whereof l have aflixed my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

GEORGE M. D. HEARD. Vitnesses:

GEO; H. SHEPHERD, B. C. SHEPHERD.

